1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to security devices, and more particularly to a lockable box in which to place an article for later retrieval by the intended recipient.
2. Background Information
Many existing devices are designed to facilitate delivery in the absence of the intended recipient. Mail chutes, milk boxes, and payment depositories list just a few. They provide an arrangement whereby an article can be left at the delivery site for retrieval by the intended recipient at a later time, and they are commonly used for many home delivery applications.
Some applications require a better delivery arrangement, however. Consider, for example, the home delivery of video cassettes to a user. Video cassettes are often delivered to a user's home during the day, while the user is at work or otherwise absent. The cassettes are viewed when the user returns, often during the evening hours, and they are left for the delivery service to pick up the following day. The delivery service picks them up, and at the same time fills any new video cassette orders.
This video cassette delivery procedure imposes certain requirements not adequately satisfied by existing delivery arrangements. First, the cassettes are somewhat fragile, and it would be unwise to drop them through a mail chute. They might become damaged in the fall, or abused upon the floor or in the receptacle into which they fall. Therefore, it is desirable to have a device in which a cassette can be placed and stored safely until the user arrives.
Also, video cassettes left unsecured often invite theft, and it is preferred that they be delivered in some manner that overcomes this concern. A covered box on the user's doorstep, such as a typical milk box, provides an enclosure, but it is easily entered by unauthorized persons, and does not solve the problem. Therefore, it is desirable to have a device that can be locked, to limit access to authorized persons and inhibit theft of the cassette.
Although a locked depository would inhibit theft, existing locked depositories are often inconvenient for several reasons. Using a key operated lock often requires that several copies of the key be made, separate ones for use by the supplier, the user, and for backup purposes in the event a key becomes lost. Although the supplier might use a master key, this arrangement still involves a different key for each user, and the risk and inconvenience of key loss. Other locking arrangements, such as combination locks, have similar drawbacks. Thus, it is desirable to have a lockable container that foregoes the need for the intended recipient to have a key or remember a combination to gain access.
In addition, it is often desirable that the supplier be able to provide a suitable device to a prospective customer of the delivery service--a device that is readily used at the home or other delivery site without inconvenient installation requirements. Consequently, it is desirable to have a new and improved device for delivery applications that satisfies this need also.